Tekagoli Caravan

What is a Tekagoli Caravan?

By the strictest definition, a Tekagoli caravan is a merchant caravan that starts in the theome of Baggil and Tekagol. Some of these go south to Boghegd and Griolor, then to other destinations across the sea, but most of them go north to Toleva and Wraquo along the north-south trade corridor from south-central Tachamund to Tachanigh-Kelkaith crossing Tirrtian Pass. In this definition, a Tekagoli caravan is a caravan from Tekagol.

What is a Tekagoli Caravan in idiom?

Less strictly, a Tekagoli caravan is a caravan that is carrying Tekagoli luck charms on purpose. Even a single Tekagoli luck charm held by the caravan master is enough to define a Tekagoli caravan, though generally there is a clear identity for Tekagoli caravans and Tekagoli Luck Charms are distributed widely through all the would-be merchants who join the caravan. This use of "bad luck magic" is highly distinctive and defines a kind of trade caravan in many discussions of the commercial practices of merchants on Theoma.

These caravans are not very popular; people fear the "bad luck magic" will spread like a plague! So some people will not deal with anyone wearing Tekagoli luck charm(s). Others, however, actually prefer to deal with merchants from Tekagoli caravans. One of the reasons cited for this is that Tekagoli caravans typically engage in a lot of fund-pooling and other forms of risk-sharing, creating an image of Tekagoli caravan merchants as highly cooperative people. Another reason is that Baggil, the land god known all over Theoma for having convinced the people of Tekagol that moderately bad luck is actually a very good kind of luck to have, is unusually egalitarian. There is therefore a general belief that Tekagoli caravans are not ripping people off, and that they value the well-being of their customers implicitly.